Agenda item

Report of the Commissioner (copy attached).

The Committee received a report of the Commissioner summarising the findings of the recent joint HM Inspectorate of Prisons and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary unannounced inspection of the City Police’s custody suites at Snow Hill and Bishopsgate Police Stations, and detailing the proposed response.

The Assistant Commissioner commented that he was generally pleased with the report and, whilst there was of course room for improvement, it was important to note that the standard of inspection had been very high and it had of course been an unannounced visit. He also noted that a number of other custody suites across the country had been forced to close as a result of these inspections. It was advised that a number of the recommendations made by HMIC had already been implemented and those outstanding actions relating to the fabric of the building would be addressed by the new estate, as the high cost of refitting some cells and creating an exercise yard was prohibitive in advance of the anticipated accommodation change.

A Member, also the Lead Member for Custody Visiting, sought clarity over the £300,000 figure quoted to implement the recommended building changes, asking if a breakdown of costs could be provided. She suggested that there must be some interim works which could be done given that it was likely to be some time before the new police estate was ready, particularly with reference to the installation of call bells accessible to detained persons in wheelchairs. It was suggested that the possibility of installing lowered call bells in just one or two cells be explored as a cheaper interim solution, and the Assistant Commissioner undertook to look in to the costs which would be associated with this, and also to provide a further more general report in due course updating on progress made in implementing all of HMIC’s recommendations. The EDHR Manager echoed the Member’s comments, advising that the Force had an obligation under the Equality Act to look at reasonable adjustments, suggesting that the Force contact the Corporation’s Access Team who could assist with recommendations.

Concern was also expressed at the findings of the survey appended to the report, suggesting that a comparatively high number of detained persons claimed not to have been made aware of their rights and entitlements under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act 1984. The Assistant Commissioner gave assurances that training was being provided to keep all officers up to date with their obligations in accordance with PACE, and added that the percentage of those surveyed in this instance who were foreign nationals was unusually high and so it was possible that the issue was more one of translation than a failure to comply with requirements.

In response to a Member’s query concerning the high comparative response regarding the provision of tracksuits to detained persons, it was advised that cases could occasionally be lost on the basis of tracksuits not being provided due to forensics issues, and so the Force felt that it was better to err on side of caution.

RECEIVED.